[yusufm786]

Hi Guys

I have searched a lot on this topic, but still coming up short on my info. All the questions I have seen are centered around which A.E. to buy, but in my opinion most of them are crazy expensive considering it's just a light bulb. So I have decided to build my own...

I have an e90 pre-LCI sedan (with stock xenons and angels), but am also interested in the LCI setup. Maybe you guys can fill me in on the grey areas:

1. As far as I can make out, both the pre-LCI and LCI use fibre-optic rings, the only difference being the bulb used to illuminate the rings.
2. Only a single bulb is used for both rings on either side in both LCI and pre LCI
3. The LCI uses a h8, and the pre-LCI uses what?
4. The lights shine into the ring. If that's the case, what stops the pre-LCI bulb from being as bright as the LCI bulb - I see even Lux has brighter bulbs for the LCI than the pre-lci. What is it in the physical construction that limits the brightness on the pre-lci?
5. Does someone have diagrams showing how the bulbs shine into the rings, how the same light is reflected into 2 rings, etc?
6. the lci has dimming capabilities integrated into the FRM, which is based on pulse width modulation. this should mean that even the aftermarket LEDs should be dimmable. How do they maintain the maximum brightness all the time - do they put a capacitor across the input terminals to smoothen out the waveform to the max value and get rid of the pulses?
7. Can the FRM from a lci be installed into a pre-lci with full compatibility and added functionality?
8. Any ideas on the current ratings of the various LEDs used in the aftermarket bulbs?

[ChasVS]

Ah, I would say that all those technical details that you list are the reason the AE are "crazy expensive"....

[yusufm786]

Originally Posted by ChasVS

Ah, I would say that all those technical details that you list are the reason the AE are "crazy expensive"....

I'm not so sure..My questions are more like problem specifications. I mean if i want to build a house, I need to know how many rooms I need, the space I have, etc. The answers to my questions, though..that may present a challenge. We shall see

[E92-Lighting]

MTEC V3's are bright enough and pure white, it will save you the hassle of doing any technical

[koolit]

I have a 2010 E90 328i and currently working on replacing headlight bulbs and Angel eyes.
I have all the parts in my inventory to DIY.
Here's where I am at:
5 pcs, 5mm superwhite LED with 220 ohms res in series @ 13.7 Dvc= 0.049 Amps. According to specs, LED VDC= 3.2 - 3.6 volts
I will have to get a 100-110 ohms/5 watts res at RatShack to meet the LED 3.2 volts supply requirements.

Not sure if I will get an OBC error but will test later.
I can take pictures and post it later..... I am a little short handed (multi tasking).

[koolit]

Not sure about LCI but just wanna share. If the following does not belong here then please move/point me in the right thread.
These are the actual pictures of what is on my 2010 E90 328i.
I am aware that those aftermarket LED Angel eyes have switching transistors resistors and caps.
But hey, I am a DIY kinda guy. Would be nice if any tech savvy here will jump on board and share the schematic diagram for LED Angel eyes.
Till then, I will test and post my own circuit diagram if I get an error code.

Also, I have a few 8500k HID kit I removed from my fleet. I hate it when oncoming cars with HID bulb blinds me. Mind me, my other cars are have projected lens but still, I find it too glaring for other drivers.

Btw, I will also replace the stock Headlight bulbs on this car with GP Thunder 8500k/50W.

The stock Agel Eyes bulb draws 0.845 Amps @13.7 Vdc ea.

Will post more as I progress..... TIA

[yusufm786]

Originally Posted by E92-Lighting

MTEC V3's are bright enough and pure white, it will save you the hassle of doing any technical

Actually I don't mind the technical stuff. Even if it doesn't work, at least I'll learn from it. Do you have any technical info as per my questions?

Originally Posted by koolit

I have a 2010 E90 328i and currently working on replacing headlight bulbs and Angel eyes.
I have all the parts in my inventory to DIY.
Here's where I am at:
5 pcs, 5mm superwhite LED with 220 ohms res in series @ 13.7 Dvc= 0.049 Amps. According to specs, LED VDC= 3.2 - 3.6 volts
I will have to get a 100-110 ohms/5 watts res at RatShack to meet the LED 3.2 volts supply requirements.

Not sure if I will get an OBC error but will test later.
I can take pictures and post it later..... I am a little short handed (multi tasking).

I don't think this is entirely the right thread since I'm only concerned about the angels, but ok. Just a note - how do you get 110 ohms? Your LED needs 0.049A at 3.6V. R=V/I=(13.7-3.6)/.049=206 ohms. The power rating of your resistor should correspond to this, so get a minimum 0.5W resistor

[koolit]

Originally Posted by yusufm786

I don't think this is entirely the right thread since I'm only concerned about the angels, but ok. Just a note - how do you get 110 ohms? Your LED needs 0.049A at 3.6V. R=V/I=(13.7-3.6)/.049=206 ohms. The power rating of your resistor should correspond to this, so get a minimum 0.5W resistor

Of course, I am aware of Ohms Law. But heck, my past experiences with individual resistor per LED according to Ohms Law does not always guaranteed to last for the life of the LED. You'll find your lens blackened from resistor smoke burns.

My preference is parallel LED's on a single resistor for uniform luminance. In this case, the Angel eye focal spot can only accommodate 3 (5mm) LED's. I use 100 Ohms/1W resistor. I can hold the resistor for hours without getting burnt compare to 0.25 or 0.5 watt.
LED Vcc=3.42, I=1.08A
3 valid calibrated Fluke DVM's revealed the same results.
Current load is close enough to the 0.845A stock bulb, hence no OBC error or flickering.
The problem is, it is not bright enough and looks awful with the yellow light on. I am not willing to visit the dealer to encode the computer at this time.
So I ended up putting back the Angel eyes stock bulb. The GP Thunder 8500k looks great though.

[LuxAngelEyes]

well you are actually talking about 3 different headlights, Pre-lci Xenon, LCI Halogen, and LCI Xenon.

the pre-lci Xenon and LCI Halogen are similar set up with the 2 rings coming to a point with a light source behing the tips of the angel eye rings. The bulbs for these two models are both proprietary and are designed differently

the LCI Xenon is much different using a H8 bulb, a reflector, light tubes and 2 physically different rings.

as for a light source, DO NOT USE RESISTORS with high power LED's because they will get too hot and cause serious damage.

[LuxAngelEyes]

Originally Posted by koolit

I have a 2010 E90 328i and currently working on replacing headlight bulbs and Angel eyes.
I have all the parts in my inventory to DIY.
Here's where I am at:
5 pcs, 5mm superwhite LED with 220 ohms res in series @ 13.7 Dvc= 0.049 Amps. According to specs, LED VDC= 3.2 - 3.6 volts
I will have to get a 100-110 ohms/5 watts res at RatShack to meet the LED 3.2 volts supply requirements.

Not sure if I will get an OBC error but will test later.
I can take pictures and post it later..... I am a little short handed (multi tasking).

the 5mm LED's are not bright enough, you will never see them during the day and barely see them at night. You will need to be pushing 5-10 watts of power through LED's in order for them to be bright enough

[yusufm786]

Originally Posted by LuxAngelEyes

well you are actually talking about 3 different headlights, Pre-lci Xenon, LCI Halogen, and LCI Xenon.

the pre-lci Xenon and LCI Halogen are similar set up with the 2 rings coming to a point with a light source behing the tips of the angel eye rings. The bulbs for these two models are both proprietary and are designed differently

the LCI Xenon is much different using a H8 bulb, a reflector, light tubes and 2 physically different rings.

as for a light source, DO NOT USE RESISTORS with high power LED's because they will get too hot and cause serious damage.

I'm guessing then that I have to set up electronics to provide a current source?

What is the difference between the fibre optic ring and the light tube?

[LuxAngelEyes]

Originally Posted by yusufm786

I'm guessing then that I have to set up electronics to provide a current source?

What is the difference between the fibre optic ring and the light tube?

fiber optic ring = light tube. they are the same thing.

[yusufm786]

Perfect. I'll have a go at it within the next few months and hopefully post a writeup

[E90Brad]

Get Lux 5.1 and call it a day